The present invention relates to a high voltage terminal used for wires on a vehicle.
In general, solderless terminals are often used for electrically connecting devices to one another in a vehicle.
A typical solderless terminal shown in FIG. 4(a) has a main body 40. A receptacle 41 is provided at one end of the main body 40. A lug 42 is provided at the other end of the main body 40. A pair of contactors 43, 44 are located in the receptacle 41 to face each other. When a prong 1 of a terminal is inserted in the receptacle 41, the contactors 43, 44 contact the prong 1. The lug 42 has a U-shaped cross-section with a bottom 42b and sidewalls projecting from the bottom 42. Two pairs of crimp pieces 45, 46 formed at the sidewalls. A wire 2 is placed in the U-shaped section. Then, the crimp pieces 45, 46 are bent toward the axis of the wire 2 to crimp the wire 2 to the lug 42. As a result, the wire 2 is electrically connected to the terminal main body 40. After the wire 2 is coupled, the main body 40 is fitted in one of sockets 51 of a female connector housing 50 shown in FIG. 5. The connector housing 50 is made of insulating resin. A prong 1 (not shown in FIG. 5) is located in each socket 51 of the connector housing 50. The terminal main body 40 is electrically connected to the corresponding prong 1.
In recent years, vehicles have an increasing load of electric devices. To deal with the capacitance of the electric loads, some vehicles are equipped with a 42V battery instead of conventionally used 14V batteries.
When the prong 1 is manually pulled out of the terminal main body 40 while the terminal is energized, continuous electric arc is generated between the prong 1 and the contactors 43, 44. Particularly, when the prong 1 and the terminal is connecting an electrical load to a high-voltage power supply, the arc is increased. The increased arc roughens the surfaces of the contactors 43, 44 and the prong 1. The roughened surfaces increase the contact resistance between the contactors 43, 44 and the prong 1. Thus, when energized, the contactors 43, 44 produce heat due to electrical resistance. Since the female connector housing 50 is made of insulating resin, the produced heat can damage the housing 50. Therefore, when the terminal main body 40 connects an electric load with a high-voltage power supply, the reliability of the main body 40 can deteriorate.
Accordingly, it is an objective of the present invention to provide a solderless high voltage terminal that prevents generation of arc between contactors and a prong of a male terminal.
To achieve the foregoing and other objectives and in accordance with the purpose of the present invention, a high-voltage terminal for connecting a high-voltage power supply with a male terminal extending from an electric component is provided. The high-voltage terminal includes an elongated hollow housing made of a conductive material, a first contactor mad of a conductive material, and a second contactor made of a conductive material. The housing includes an opened first end for receiving the male terminal, and a second end connected to the power supply. The first contactor is located in the housing. When the male terminal is inserted into the housing, the first contactor contacts the male terminal. The second contactor is located in the housing at a position closer to the first end than the first contactor is. When the housing receives the male terminal, the second contactor contacts the male terminal and is deformed by arc generated by the contact with the male terminal. When the male terminal is removed from the housing, the second contactor is deformed to separate from the male terminal after the male terminal is separated from the first contactor.
Other aspects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, illustrating by way of example the principles of the invention.